The ASCB awards this year have been inspired. We'd like to point out this terrific essay by Angelika, the single person most responsible for the existence of our lab! Read her commentary on the importance of basic research here. We agree!

We like this MBoC essay by friend-of-the-lab Vlad Denic (AKA Mr. Caro ;)), who does a great job of highlighting the diversity of experiences in science, as well as the importance of good mentors and good colleagues. Link to the PDF here.

There is plenty that has been said about this whole fiasco and we probably don't have much that's novel to add. But for some interesting commentary that we agree with, check out Mike Eisen's post here. The specific protocol used to oust Tim Hunt and whether his comments were really so much worse that what others have said (or regularly don't say due to a sense of propriety) are debatable. Whether Hunt's comments are offensive is really not debatable. They are- at least to many scientists that we know, both female and male. Certainly the situation has gotten more attention than anyone probably anticipated, but it does reflect a real issue that at least a subset of scientists truly grapple with. So we don't feel bad for Tim Hunt. Or those who are rushing to defend his statements and being called out for it, as their apologist backlash often seems at least as disturbing as the original comments that Hunt put forth and then vigorously defended publicly on multiple occasions.